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Political battle lines drawn in Passaic County freeholder debate

The political battle lines were drawn in Tuesday night’s Passaic County freeholder debate, as Republicans complained about high taxes and one party rule while the Democrats defended their record and said they’ve restored fiscal stability to county...

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Political battle lines drawn in Passaic County freeholder debate

RICHARD COWEN, The Record
Published 7:52 p.m. ET Oct. 26, 2016

From left to right, Democrats Terry Duffy and Pat Lepore, and Republicans Stephen Arienta and Tafari Anderson, candidates for Passaic County Freeholder, debate at the Wayne Municipal Building on Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2016. At center is Michelle Bobrow, the debate moderator for the League of Women Voters.(Photo: Richard Cowen/staff)

The political battle lines were drawn in Tuesday night’s Passaic County freeholder debate, as Republicans complained about high taxes and one party rule while the Democrats defended their record and said they’ve restored fiscal stability to county government.

The candidates met Tuesday night at the Wayne Municipal Building for a debate sponsored by the League of Women Voters. It’s the only debate scheduled before Election Day, and Republicans went on the attack early.

Republican challengers Stephen Arienta of Wanaque and Tafari Anderson of Clifton pointed out that the taxpayers in Passaic County pay the highest county taxes per capita in the state. Anderson added that the county tax bite is especially harsh in Clifton and Wayne, which together account for 50 percent of county tax revenues.

“And we have nothing to show for it,” Anderson said. Arienta added that 23 cents of every tax dollar goes to Passaic County.

The Democratic incumbents, Terry Duffy of West Milford and Pat Lepore of Woodland Park, said Wayne and Clifton have plenty to show for in the county’s $455 million budget. The county has allocated money for parks in both municipalities, for road and bridge repair, and for the Sheriff’s Department.

Lepore the $1.3 million that the county is spending to fix up Weasel Brook Park in Clifton, along with $750,000 committed to the arboretum in Wayne. “We’ve put a ton of money into the athletic fields in Wayne,” Lepore said.

Wayne and Clifton are two of the largest municipalities in Passaic and considered crucial if Republicans are to have a chance at capturing either of the two seats freeholder seats up for grabs on Election Day. The Democrats have held all seven seats on the board since 2013.

Arienta conceded that the freeholders have made improvements to the parks, but said more money should be spent combating the heroin epidemic. Arienta, a former Passaic County sheriff’s officer who is now professor of criminal justice at Westchester Community College in Valhalla, N.Y., favors attacking the demand for drugs as a way to curtail supply.

His idea is to create municipal alliances in all 16 Passaic County towns, with funding that is available through a federal program known as COPS. These alliances bring together law enforcement and the medical community an emphasize drug treatment over criminal prosecution, an approach Arienta says has been successful in combating heroin in Gloucester, Mass, a little town with a big drug problem.

“I would be the freeholder to implement that program,” Arienta said.

Anderson, a Clifton school board trustee, called for freezing the county tax levy in his first year. The freeholders are currently sitting on a $34 million surplus, he said, a portion of which could have been used to stop the latest tax increase, he said.

Lepore countered that avoiding a tax increase isn’t as simple as applying surplus funds. Whatever amount of surplus that is applied must be raised in the budget the following year, he said.

Duffy and Lepore have both been in office for 12 years. Duffy said when they were elected, Passaic County finances were a mess. “We’ve brought financial stability and the best bond rating the history of the county,” Duffy said. “That means we can borrow cheaper than anybody else.”

Arienta favors holding a public referendum anytime the county wants to bond, just like public school districts. But Lepore said the freeholders are elected to make financial decisions.